Jon Bon Jovi Pens Open Letter To Buffalo Bills Fans

A Jon Bon Jovi public relations move to try to curry favor for his proposed purchase of the Buffalo Bills has left some of the faithful unconvinced.

Bon Jovi wrote an open letter titled "Why We're Bidding on the Buffalo Bills" that was published Sunday (August 3) in the Buffalo News and promises Bon Jovi and company want "to make the Bills successful in Buffalo....I know how much the Bills mean to the people of this region. So I want you to hear this from me; I'm not risking it all to let you down. If we are given the chance to be the next owners of the Buffalo Bills, I promise you that we will bring the same passion that you do every Sunday, every day."

Bon Jovi also writes that he and his partners are working with state and local authorities to identify a site for a new stadium in the region; "My family and I are prepared to make this life-changing commitment to be part of the Bills. This is not a hobby or an acquisition. Building a winner on and off the field will be job one, and I intend to spend as much time on the ground in Buffalo as needed to accomplish that."

A current lease arrangement, which has a strict non-relocation clause, keeps the Bills in their current stadium through the 2019 season.

The Bills Fan Alliance, formed by business leaders and team fans, issued a statement after Bon Jovi's letter was published expressing skepticism: "While we appreciate his sentiment, it's worth noting that nowhere in his letter does he write or directly that he will 'not move the Bills from Buffalo.' "

The group encouraged Bon Jovi to sign a binding, pre-purchase agreement stating an intent to keep the team in Buffalo, adding that "Anything short of formal action taken on their part will be viewed as nothing more than rhetoric."

Bon Jovi has been the subject of protests and boycotts since he and his group were revealed to be bidding on the Bills.